St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-22
TWO LEPERS.
The Sad Case OF a Mother and Her
Little Daughter.

Inc Sdu case "a al anu I1cf
Little Daughter.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 21.-The two
lepers, mother and daughter, about
whom there has been SO much comment
during the past two weeks, came into
the Office of the board of health Satur-
day of their own accord, and were sent
out to the municipal hospital for cOnta-
giOuS diseases in the hospital ambulance.
When the unfortunate woman raised
her veil her face presented a dreadful
appearance. 1t looked as though it had
been Scalded. The skin was drawn and
contracted and scanned with wrinkles,
The hands and arms, which she dis
played, were covered with shiny skin,
which was also cracked and scanned.
The little girl. who is only about twelve
years old. did not seem to be as bad as
the mother. although her face showed
plainly that she was suffering from
some skin disease, Both mother and
daughter were neatly dressed, and the
former seemed to fully realize the posi-
ton which she was in. The woman
said that her name was Isabella Mi
rande. She declined to give any def
mite information about her family. The
poor woman, however. told her story in
a general way, her voice choked some
times by sObs and tears flowing from
her eyes, Mrs. Miranda says she has
been under the care of DR.. Van Airing
ton, but was never told the exact nature
of the disease. She does not know posi-
lively Just what it is. Her condition
and that of her child, she stated,
has much improved since they
have been here in Philadel-
phia, and about three weeks
ago she determined to return to her
home in the city Of Para. She has two
grown up children there, one Of whom
is a young woman who is married, while
the other is boy of nineteen who is
learning to be pilot. Her youngest
child, about five years old, is also there.
All these are perfectly healthy and
never displayed any symptoms of the
disease. Mrs. Mirande left this city
and went to New York. where she took
passage on steamer for Brazil, but she
did not know the name of the vessel.
Scarcely had they got well out at sea
when the ships physician found out
what was the matter with the two pas
Sengers, and the captain determined to
land them at the first opportunity. The
vessel put in at Newport News and the
SOrely afflicted woman and her little
girl were obliged to diSembark, being
EOlu lIldI ullUtI TIC tlICuHlSlduCSS IL
would be impossible TO put them ashore
in Brazilian port. She determined to
come back to this city and arrived at
Broad street station yesterday morning.
HeartbrOken at not being permitted to
90 back to her home. filled with mis-
givings that she would not see her other
children any more and knowing that
she had a disease, whatever 1t was,
which would cause all to shun her, she
concluded not to go back to her friends,
but to let the health authorities tend to
her case. The fact that lepers had been
III this city was never known to the
board Of health on Nov. /. although they
had probably left at that time. DIR.
Ford, who was then seen, gave it as his
opinion that leprOsy was not contagi-
Gus unless person came into actual
contact with the sufferer or handled
their clothing. In his report of the
cayes ~ tie county medical society, DIR.
Van Arlington says: Leprosy Is indeed
contagious in ny belief and IN that Of